Why is Faith Difficult? Tackling this will require us to use two broad categories:
- Faith in Others
- Faith in God
Faith in others is difficult because we have all been disappointed by someone. This truth was the subject of a humorous political cartoon I saw today. The cartoon asked, What do you trust more than (insert name of political figure)? Some of the “answers” were:
- Mexican Tapwater
- A Bigfoot Sighting
- Sushi From the Gas Station
- Loch Ness Monster Sightings
Believing and trusting others doesn’t begin to compare with believing and trusting God. And since God has never failed anyone at anytime, why is trusting Him such a challenge?
Faith: A Process or an Event?
Let’s put it another way: Is life a process or an event? That matters because Christians live and grow in the process of living life. A very well known verse of Scripture points to God working in the processes of life:
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Scripture is a panorama of God calling people to trust Him more than things they could actually see. Abraham easily comes to mind as one of those people. Was his faith perfect? Did he get it right every time? No. Did he keep taking steps of faith? Yes. Through his failures and triumphs he grew in his faith. And growing is always a process. It’s accomplished in the here and now.
Trouble comes because we sometimes view faith as an event. We love to compartmentalize our lives. We take the step of faith and think:
OK, that’s done! On to the next thing.
Paul writes in Romans that we are to live from faith to faith. One step of faith is never enough. Why? Because our steps are about more than the moment in which we take them. They are about us becoming more like God. And that is why they are difficult. They are His method for shaping and changing us. And that kind of change is a life-long process. And did I mention, change is rarely easy? Think about it!
Soli Deo Gloria!
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